Durant and Westbrook power OKC past Orlando, 125-124

Go ahead and set this one to “Do Not Erase” on your DVR. It was one of Those Games.

Not only was the game itself terrific, but players played terrific. Kevin Durant went for 36 on 13-17 shooting (!), Russell Westbrook picked up a triple-double (32-13-10 and only one turnover) (!) and as a team, the Thunder shot 56.4 percent from the field.

And they held on to beat the Magic, one of the best teams in the league. The Thunder’s been lacking a few big statement wins and they got one tonight on national TV with their best players playing some of their best games. When I go to sleep tonight I’m putting this game on in the background.

It had the big plays — KD’s runner to ice it, a classic Jeff Green 3 for his defenders to put in their pocket to defend him with in four days when people are bashing him, Serge Ibaka’s back-to-back blocks — but it also had some seriously good, mature basketball from the Thunder. They held onto the lead pretty much the entire second half, working it up to 12 at one point, but Orlando is just to good to really blow out. But OKC never slumped. It never went through a lull. There was a good amount of focus for the full 48. Good thing, because there really wasn’t an opportunity to relax in this one.

In terms of offense, I don’t think it gets a whole lot better than this. The shooting was phenomenal, but it was more than that. The Thunder assisted on 24 of the 44 baskets, moved the ball wonderfully and executed extremely well in the halfcourt. OKC picked good spots to run, but the way the Thunder worked the ball was just excellent. The Thunder had an assist on their first five makes, kind of setting a tone. And it’s cool to do shoot 56 percent and score 125 points against the Magic because that mean Stan Van Gundy is going to yell at his team for two and half hours after this one. That’s nice to know.

In terms of defense, it wasn’t great. But to me, it was better than you think. Yes, Orlando scored 124 points. Yes, Dwight Howard scored 39. Yes, the Magic went 14-28 from 3. But Orlando shot 45.6 percent from the field and take away Howard’s ridiculous night at the free throw line and the Magic don’t net as many points. The Magic can shoot 3s as good as anyone, but 14-28 is kind of ridiculous, even for them.

That said, the perimeter defense was abhorrent. Watching Orlando’s guards penetrate, sucking in three Thunder defenders, and then kick out to a wide open marksman made me want to do a bellyflop onto a bed of hot coals. I understand helping and rotating, but at some point you’ve just got to stay with your man, especially if he’s a freaking excellent shooter. There’s where you rely on Serge Ibaka to rotate over and protect the rim if a guard beats his man. The Magic stayed in this game because of the 3-pointer and OKC just let them shoot it.

NOTES:

Nenad Krstic, excellent. He had nine rebounds in the first six minutes and finished with his first double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, seven of them offensive. And this was against Dwight Howard, mind you. I actually thought Krstic did the best work on Howard too in the post, but Scott Brooks went with Serge Ibaka down the stretch.

I assume the reasoning on going with Ibaka was because of the point I mentioned earlier. Brooks was probably counting on Ibaka to rotate and protect the rim so the Thunder defenders didn’t have to leave shooter. Obviously it didn’t really work that way, but I think that was the intent.

Thabo Sefolosha was again huge on both ends. I think he’s gaining in the confidence department. He had nine points on 4-4 shooting and played pretty solid defense as well.

I’m curious as to what the gallery thinks: Is this the best game of Russell Westbrook’s career? I’m not sure he’s ever been better.

OKC gave up 38 points in the fourth. Yuck.

KD started the game 7-8 in the first quarter and had 16 points. He really could’ve went for 50 tonight because he was obviously locked entirely in, but he just stayed in the flow of the game and played in rhythm. To score 36 on 17 shots is kind of ridiculous, but had he taken 22 or 23 shots, I think he would’ve topped his career-high. But that’s what’s so good about KD. He wasn’t thinking about that stuff at all.

Of course Dwight Howard goes 17-20 against my team. Of course.

Even with Howard grabbing 18 rebounds, OKC still won the boards 42-36. That stat’s a little misleading because the Thunder shot so well, but it’s still a good thing.

OKC had a chance to really separate from Orlando early, but Gilbert Arenas and Ryan Anderson were hot and kept the Magic close.

Speaking of Anderson, I’m thinking he’s the heir apparent to Brad Miller. He needs a few trash tats and a headband and he’s there.

Krstic won the tip against Howard. That was a good omen.

I really like the Thunder being on national TV, but I wonder when we’ll get past the point of rehashing every nuance involved with the team. Hey, did you know it’s a college sports state and college sports fans bring that same mentality to the games?

The Thunder’s now 34-6 over the past two seasons when Krstic scores 10 or more.

And the obligatory mention: 15-3 in games decided by seven or less.

I really hate how matchups are squeezing James Harden’s playing time. He was good in just 18 minutes, but that’s the problem. Only 18 minutes. Somehow Brooks has to figure out how to get him at least 25 a night. Thabo was extremely valuable in this one, no doubt, but Harden has got to get more burn.

Does KD not have one of the prettiest jumpers you’ve ever seen. Silk really is the only way to describe it.

Ibaka really struggled with Howard, but man did he work. Ibaka tried so hard to stop him, but Howard is just a monster.

Only five turnovers for Orlando and nine for OKC. A very, very clean game for both teams.

To me, the Thunder doesn’t have to prove anything, but winning this game really does show that the Thunder’s capable of winning a big game with everyone watching. They’re still capable of losing a game to a mediocre team too, but these guys are definitely getting better. It’s obvious that they’re improving. Again, the defense was an issue, but when you play so well in all the other facets, you can get away with it. OKC’s building some momentum with four straight and like we’ve said all year, they aren’t a finished product yet. Which is definitely something to feel good about.

@ACI have Manu and Duncan, so the Spurs do have more than one all star. In a vacuum I'd have Nash ahead of both Parker and Manu, but I felt awkward taking 4 pgs and only 2 sgs. If that's not a concern, give me Nash.

Thundercats0 :OtherThomas, you’re the reason fans should have their voting rights retracted when it comes to selecting players for the All-Star game.

Wait, why do I get my fan voting rights retracted for thinking Paul is better than Westbrook? Im definitely no fan of NOH, Im OKC tried and true. Still, Paul is better for all the reasons Sammy defined as well as +/-, opposing PER, steals, and all the defensive stats you can think of. Westbrook is fantastic, but Paul is pretty legendary.

I totally agree. When we finished up December and I took a hard look at January with 5 and 8 home to away games and the teams scheduled I was pretty worried. 4-2 and at 14 games over .500 so far is really great.

Game of the year no doubt, as far as excitement factor goes. I do believe the Thunder are undefeated on national TV this year which is super awesome. They have gotten all these monkeys off their backs....Well all except one -- Beating the Lakers at Stapes Center. And they can do it, Monday on TNT.

Whenever I miss a game, I check out the game flow chart at popcornmachine.net.... it really helps get a feel for matchups and rotations. It's interesting that when Howard came back in after resting in the first half, he never left the game again.

I think it's also clear that when Krstic has fresh legs, he can defend pretty well.

AC :I think everyone will like this one! From Mayberry’s notes:“I’m always confident in myself,” Green said. “No matter how I’m shooting. If I’m 0-for-11 when the time comes or if I’m 7-for-7, I’m going to shoot the ball if it’s in my hands and I have an opportunity to make a play.”

That's fine to me... if he'd just shoot it a little less overall. That's the right mentality to have, and he's right that "hot and cold" are mostly mental.

I can't beleive I missed this game. I have to pick and chose them (82 games is hard on the girl friend) and I kind of expected a no-show by the Thunder..... my bad for betting against my guys when they have a national stage....

Anyway, I'm glad the got this win. Hopefully it will give them all some confidence heading into LA.

KingGondo :I said at the beginning of this month that 7-6 would be really nice for January (but that 6-7 or worse was more likely), and we’re at 4-2. I can easily see wins against Minny and Wizards, and we only need to win one against the Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, Hornets, or Heat to get to 7-6.Going 8-5 or better this month would really put us ahead of the game down the stretch when the schedule eases up. If we do that, I think a top 4 seed and ~55 wins becomes much more likely.

Definitely agree here. I was hoping for .500 ball in January, and would be happy with anything better.

I think the Green to Horry comparison is good.Horry was power forward without the power, that drove his own team's fans crazy with his inconsistent play.But in crunch time of big games, he made shots that had the opponents fan's pulling their hair out.Just ask Kings fans about the time Chris Webber led them to the NBA finals, but for Horry's crazy 3 at the buzzer.

He also won titles with 3 franchises, but I can't get carried away with this analogy.

“I’m always confident in myself,” Green said. “No matter how I’m shooting. If I’m 0-for-11 when the time comes or if I’m 7-for-7, I’m going to shoot the ball if it’s in my hands and I have an opportunity to make a play.”

OKC Arena and the fans are getting some respect. This is a quote from the Magic Chat right after Green hits the buzzer beating 3

"Austin From Deltona: I'll tell you right now, I wish I could attend one game in OKC. They are my 2nd favorite team (still way below Magic..Magic are MY team) but I'll tell you...the fans in OKC are just incredible."

I said at the beginning of this month that 7-6 would be really nice for January (but that 6-7 or worse was more likely), and we're at 4-2. I can easily see wins against Minny and Wizards, and we only need to win one against the Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, Hornets, or Heat to get to 7-6.

Going 8-5 or better this month would really put us ahead of the game down the stretch when the schedule eases up. If we do that, I think a top 4 seed and ~55 wins becomes much more likely.

What a great game. Am I crazy, because it seemed to me that Krstic & Thabo were the difference in the game for us. We have come to expect superhuman performances from RW & KD, and without either of them we are a bottom dweller. But what takes us from being an above average playoff bound team to a contender is getting play like last night from our role players, specifically Krstic & Thabo. I still don't know what to make of Uncle Jeff. He definitely hits big shots in big moments, but his middle of the game minutes seem to cost us almost every night.

I would disagree. Krstic would have to have more than 1 good game to consider giving him more minutes. If he pulls off a double double against the Lakers then I might reconsider. Not that opinion really matters. ;)

Oh yeah, best play of the game was the Russ & Durant's alley-oop assist to Nenad.

Everybody loves to hate Krstic. I'm starting to wonder if Brooks' crazy rotations are keeping him from playing great. When he was at the Nets he did this, when he's in international play he does this. I refuse to believe he can't do this consistently for us. Last season he was one of our best post defenders on a team that had one of the best at the rim defenses in the league. I think that I'll officially start the "at least loosen the leash on Krstic a little bit" campaign.

The plus/minus numbers didn't lie last night. Nenad with a +12, best of the evening, Serge with a -8, worst on the team.

Serge was very bad on defense last night, showing poor instincts. Leaping on pump fakes and being hesitant when he should have been aggressively protecting the rim. I'm certain he's got the physical capability to play center but he's awful right now as the last line of defense.

Collison needs more minutes at center. Even though he's undersized he's the best interior defender on the team.

Sammy :Paul doesn’t shoot as much, but when he does he’s waaaaaay more efficient, he can space the floor as one of the league’s best 3p shooters, he’s a much better defender, he’s a better passer, and grabs nearly as many boards. I’ll take Paul.For the All Star roster, I’d take Paul, Deron, RW, Kobe, Monta, Manu, Durant, Melo, Dirk, Blake, Duncan, and Pau.Apologies to Nash, Curry, Parker, Gordon, Love, LMA, and Nene.

Lebron is learning what the word Karma really means. For all those people jumpin on Miami's bandwagon. See what happens when they lose their best player? We lose our best player and we still win:) Miami cant lose anybody.

Justin, howard outweighs serge by 40 pounds of muscle, add in lack of experience in post defense, it is unfair to ask him to defend howard. maybe next year he has a better showing. Also dwight howard on okc will make more sense than blake griffin (hypothetically). 1) We need a defensive center 2) not long ago blake griffin was injured and lost a season. Dwight has been doing this for seven yeas now injury free.

Paul doesn't shoot as much, but when he does he's waaaaaay more efficient, he can space the floor as one of the league's best 3p shooters, he's a much better defender, he's a better passer, and grabs nearly as many boards. I'll take Paul.

It's stupid? Lets see here, Russ has better numbers on a far better team yet we should put CP3 ahead of him based solely on reputation alone and not on anything tangible like individual performance and team success?